Self-contained cartridge housing a porous element for use in gas lighters



y 1959 L. F. s. TISSOT DUPONT 3,452,522

SELF-CONTAINED CARTRIDGE HOUSING A POROUS ELEMENT FOR USE IN GAS LIGHTERS Filed Feb. 13, 1-967 40 2 l 2 I 2% j N m z i z United States Patent 3,452,522 SELF-CONTAINED CARTRIDGE HOUSING A POROUS ELEMENT FOR USE IN GAS LIGHTERS Lucien Francois Simon Tissot Dupont, Paris, France, as-

signor to S. T. Du Pont (Societe Anonyme), Paris, France, a French company Filed Feb. 13, 1967, Scr. No. 615,629 Claims priority, appliczsrtgozibfrance, Feb. 18, 1966,

Int. (:1. B 01d 25/14 US. Cl. 55-491 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to lighters using liquefied gases as fuel and including a compressible porous, usually discshaped element through which the gases are constrained to pass and which, dependent upon the extent of squeeze imparted thereto by clamping elements, determines the throughput or flow rate of the gas.

The compressible porous elements are often difiicult to cut to the small size required for their use. In the case of washer-shaped elements the central opening requires delicate tooling, further, the storing of such washers before assembly in the lighters lead often to their disintegration or deformation resulting in substantial rejects.

In order to eleminate these disadvantages, the invention provides a self-contained cartridge in which a compressible porous disc is confined. The said cartridge may not be disassembled; it forms a unit which is easy to handle and store. The invention has more specifically for its object the provision of a novel article of manufacture which is a filtering cartridge for a gas lighter, said cartridge is constituted by two interengaging male and female parts and a compressible porous element disposed in said female part, at least the female part being provided with a port for the passage of the gas, between cooperating surfaces of said male and female parts. The gas flows along a clearance between said male and female parts, then passes through said porous element and finally exits from the cartridge through said port.

The invention will be better understood from the ensuing specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein FIGURES 1 to 3 are sectional views of three embodiments of a filtering cartridge according to the invention.

In FIGURE 1, a disc 1 of compressible porous material is inserted between a downstream or female part 2 and an upstream or male part 3. The female part 2 comprises a cavity 2a defined by a transverse base 2b and side wall 2c. Through female part 2 from base 2b there extends a port 4 constricted adjacent base 2b by annular shoulder 4a. The male part 3 comprises a transverse frontal face 3a adjacent to and parallel with base 2b and an external side wall 3b parallel with and slightly spaced from side wall 2c. The disc 1 is in face-to-face contact with base 2b and frontal face 3a. Through male part 3 from frontal face 3a there extends a bore 5 coaxial with the port 4 and the diameter of which is smaller than that of the inner narrower portion of the latter. At a distance from frontal face 3a the bore 5 opens into a channel 7 extending through male part 3 and having a diameter larger than that of bore 5. Channel 7 is adapted conventionally to register with the output opening of a lighter container, not illustrated, which holds liquefied gas. Channel 7 is connected with radial passageways 8 formed in the side of the part 3. At its end remote from disc 1, part 3 terminates in a collar 9. A pin 6 the diameter of which is equal to that of the bore 5 so that it may be force fitted in the latter, is provided with a pointed tip 6A while its other end carries a projecting head 6b adapted to be housed with a clearance in the outer section of larger diameter of the port 4. The pin 6 is solid, by which it is meant that it blocks direct communication between channel 7 and port 4. On the outer surface 10 of the female part 2 there is formed around the port 4 a raised seat 11 adapted to carry a closing member (not illustrated provided for the lighter burner. Lastly, a sealing gasket 12 fitted around the collar 9 of the upstream part 3 bears against the surface of the downstream part 2 remote from the outer surface 10 thereof.

The unit formed by the filtering cartridge is fitted in the usual manner inside a well-shaped channel (not shown) forming an extension of the output opening of the gas container. The sealing gasket 12 engages the wall of the Well-shaped channel in a fluid tight manner while the cartridge is urged in a conventional manner against the base of said well-shaped channel, in which base said output opening is disposed.

The aforedescribed cartridge is assembled in the following manner:

The disc of porous material is inserted in the cavity 2a of female part 2, then the male part 3 is inserted over said disc. The pin 6 is then caused to pass through the port 4 with its top 6a facing the part 3, and urged with a force fit into the bore 5 after piercing the disc 1 which forms thus a washer. By virtue of the cooperation between head 6b and shoulder 4a the parts 2 and 3 are secured to one another and hold the washer 1 between base 2b of part 2 and frontal face 3a of part 3. Pin 6 also performs a centering function: it maintains parts 2 and 3 in an axially aligned relationship.

When the filtering cartridge thus constituted is assembled with the lighter, the liquefied gas passes through the channel 7 and the passageways 8 into the clearance provided between the walls 20 and 3b. The gas expands as it passes through the washer 1 and flows around the pin 6 inside the narrow portion of the port 4 and then around the head 61; in the broader portion of said port 4.

The washer 1 is compressed in the usual manner by urging parts 2 and 3 towards each other by applying force to the outer surface 10 of the part 2 on the one hand and to the collar 9 of the part 3 on the other hand. The sealing gasket 12 prevents the liquefied gas from flowing out of the container carried by the lighter along a path lying outside the filtered cartridge.

FIG. 2 illustrates a modification according to which the upstream or male part 14 is provided with a blind axial bore 17 which engages with a tight fit the securing pin. The liquefied gas flows into the channel 16 formed by the annular clearance between the two parts 2', 14 after passing through a slot 15 formed at the lower end of upstream part 14. An O-ring 13 having the same function as gasket 12 is seated in a circumferential groove of the downstream part 2'.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment similar to that of FIG. 1 with the difference that the pin 25 is inserted in the port 28' to a maximum extent: in the absence of any compression the head 25a engages the shoulder 26 formed in the port 28 the downstream or female part. Two channels 27' extending parallel with' the axis of the pin pass through said shoulder. It is possible by suitably engaging the channels 27 to limit the maximum output of the gas more readily than by adjusting the extent by which the pin is inserted under compression into the assembled parts. In contradistinction, the useful throughput of gas can be reduced conventionally by compressing the porous washer to a greater or lesser extent.

What I claim is: V 1. A self-contained cartridge to be used in lighters of the liquefied gas fuel type for controlling the rate of gas flow comprising,

(A) a female part including (1) a cavity defined by (a) side wall means, and (b) a transverse base at one end of said side wall means, (2) port means extending through said female part in said base and establishing communications between said cavity and the outside of said female part,

(3) a shoulder secured to said female part and disposed within said port means and extending inwardly thereof,

(B) a male part at least partially disposed in said cavity and having (1) external side wall means disposed at least partially inside said cavity and extending parallel with and slightly spaced from said side wall means of said cavity,

(2) a transverse frontal face disposed inside said cavity adjacent to and parallel with said base,

(3) a bore extending into said male part from said frontal face in axial alignment with said port means,

(C) a porous, compressible element disposed in said cavity in contacting relationship with said base and with said frontal face,

(D) a solid centering pin force-fitted into said bore and projecting therefrom through said porous, compressible element into said port means, and including a head at one end, said head positioned above said shoulder and extending radially outwardly thereover, and

(E) retaining means holding said male part within said female part, said frontal face of said male part and said base of said female part adapted to be dis placed with respect to one another to vary the compressive force exertedto said porous, compressible member jointly by said base and said frontal face, said shoulder preventing said head from passing through said port means towards said cavity, said head and said shoulder together forming said retaining means.

2. A self-contained cartridge as defined in claim 1, wherein said shoulder means is provided with at least one channel extending-parallel with the length dimension of said pin.

' References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,320,775 5/1967 Wright 431-131 2,351,732 6/1944 Almond et al. -417 2,711,082 6/1955 Zellweger 67-7.1 2,804,763 9/1957 Russell et a1. 67-7.1 3,084,706 4/1963 Lunde 220-44 3,144,758 8/1964 Iketani 67-7.1 3,148,521 9/1964 Zellweger 677.1 3,295,684 1/1967 Webb 210-453 3,319,670 5/ 1967 Kitabayshi 67-710 HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner.

B. NOZICK, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

